Beautiful Stranger
by Aiyh-Sa
Summary: Sally escapes from the lab for the first time, and encounters emotions she's never encountered before. CHAPTER 2 UP! :)
1. Awakened

Disclaimer: I don't own "The Nightmare Before Christmas" or anything to do with it. If I did, I'd be rich, which I'm not, so leave me alone!!  
  
"Well, my dear, you're all done." Doctor Finkelstein examined his latest creation, a satisfied smile spreading across his mouth. Slowly the creation sat up, and looked around at her surroundings. She was intrigued by everything; this world was new to her, nothing made sense yet. She looked down at the stone floor and swung her legs over the side of the bench that she lay on, cautiously placing her feet on the cold stone floor beneath her. "Yes, that's right," Finkelstein said, beaming. "Now stand up." The girl obeyed, but as she stood up, the stitching that held her leg in place caught on the edge of the table, instantly coming loose. She lost her balance and toppled to the floor. Reaching out to pick up her leg, she stopped suddenly, her gaze falling upon the mirror in front of her. Her eyes widened as she saw herself for the first time, and she sat up again, studying her own features curiously. Her red hair reached down to her waist, and her skin was pale, almost ivory in its colouring. She was dressed in rags, and stitches held together different parts of her body. She looked back at Finkelstein, trying to comprehend her surroundings.  
  
"Who am I?" She asked, and her creator laughed.  
  
"You are my creation," he explained, wheeling over to a desk and picking up a needle and thread spool. "Your name is Sally, and you are to be my lab assistant from now on. You will do as I say at all times, and on no occasion should you ever leave this lab, unless I tell you to. Is that clear?"  
  
"Yes," she sighed, and Doctor Finkelstein glared at her.  
  
"Yes what?" He sneered, making his way back over to her. She lowered her eyes submissively.  
  
"Yes..master." Finkelstein grinned, and handed her the thread spool and needle. He turned to leave the room, then stopped and looked back at her.  
  
"Once you've finished sewing yourself back together, I want this lab cleaned thoroughly." He smiled to himself with satisfaction at the thought of having his own personal slave. "As for myself, I am retiring for the night. Find yourself somewhere to sleep, but remember, don't leave the walls of this building." With that he exited the room, leaving Sally alone in the darkness.  
  
*  
  
She was restless. 6 months had passed since her creation, and Sally was tired of the same old routine over and over. She hated being bossed around, having to clean the house, cook meals for Doctor Finkelstein, or her "master" as she still had to refer to him, and having to help him with experiments. Worst of all, she hated being imprisoned in the lab. She had never seen the outside world except for on very rare occasions when the doctor would take her to meetings with him, and even then she was made to stand silently in a corner, away from the crowds. She had never properly met anyone in Halloween town except the Mayor, and had only ever seen a handful of the residents. She wanted freedom; she wanted to be able to go outside and meet everyone, get to know them all by name and make friends and have a life. She anted to live...  
  
"Sally, have you finished cleaning up yet?" The unpleasant voice of the doctor filled the lab, and Sally glanced nervously around at the mess that still littered the lab, before facing the doctor.  
  
"Umm, not yet," she replied timidly, as Doctor Finkelstein coldly observed her as if she was nothing more than an object, no different from any of the junk that cluttered his shelves. He sneered at her, trailing a gloved finger along his desk and leaving a mark in the dust that coated its surface.  
  
"Make sure that it's done ready for tomorrow," he said, and turned to leave the lab. She watched him go, then turned and walked over to the small window once the door had slammed shut. Peering out, she could see the full moon glowing above the wispy clouds that hung in the air, and the stars that shone like crystals strewn across the sky. The town outside was quiet, a ghostly tranquillity filling the streets as the residents lay asleep in their homes. Only the occasional vampire could be seen flying overhead, and the howl of a single werewolf broke the silence every now and then. Sally leaned further forward, trying to get a better view of the streets below, when she heard a creak. She looked down, noticing how the window latch strained against her as she leant against the frame. Gently she lifted it, and the window swung open. A cool breeze blew in, gently ruffling her hair. She smiled, a thought entering her mind, and climbed up onto the shelf below the window, before sliding through the window and gently lowering herself to the ground. She glanced around, before smoothing out her patchwork dress and walking quietly through the empty streets.  
  
The cemetery was as silent as the rest of the town, but there was something different about it, Sally sensed that there was someone else there. Slowly she crept past the graves, when she saw a figure on top of a hill. She froze, wary of this stranger, but her curiosity eventually got the better of her, and she edged closer, trying to get a better view of the strange figure in front of her. As she moved nearer, she saw that it was male, and he was sitting with his head resting on his hands, a ghost-dog floating beside him. His white, skeletal face showed something that she seemed to understand, a longing for something more. She sighed lightly, watching the black-clad stranger, when she saw another figure moving towards him. She shrunk back against a grave and watched, contemplating whether or not to run. The other figure, a witch riding a broom, flew over to the skeleton and waved, grinning sheepishly.  
  
"Hi Jack," she chirped, hovering a few metres from him. "What are you doing out so late?" Jack smiled back, but it was an empty smile, although the witch didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Just thinking," he answered, and Sally felt a warm feeling creep over her at the sound of his voice. The witch nodded and grinned again.  
  
"Okay. See ya Jack!" She flew off into the night, and Sally relaxed, gazing over at Jack. She felt intrigued by him, and something else that she could not begin to describe. She panicked slightly, was there something wrong with her? Her knees felt weak just thinking about when he spoke, and already his image seemed to plague her thoughts. She also felt a great longing to go over and talk to him, to simply be with him. All these feelings were new, Doctor Finkelstein had never told her about any of this before. Frowning with concern, she stood up slowly, and began to make her way quietly back to the lab. As she neared the edge of the cemetery, she turned and looked back, and her heart seemed to stop as she saw him looking straight at her, right into her eyes. She held the gaze of those large black eyes for a few seconds that felt like an eternity, then turned back and carried on towards the lab. For the entire journey home, those eyes stayed in her mind, and several times she had to stop herself from turning and walking back to the cemetery. Finally she reached the lab and climbed back through the window, shutting it carefully behind her. She picked up the broom and began cleaning up, when her eye caught something.  
  
Still holding the broom in one hand, she walked over to the book that lay on a desk across the room and peered at the front cover. The title read 'A psychological study of emotions'. She carefully opened the book and flicked through the pages, stopping suddenly at one page. The word 'LOVE' was printed in bold letters, and below it described this emotion. Sally read the description, and as she did so, something clicked in her mind. Somehow, this description seemed to describe what she had felt when she saw Jack up on that hill. She smiled to herself, rereading the paragraph.  
  
*That's it,* she thought to herself, looking back over at the window. *I love Jack.* 


	2. Meeting Jack

"You escaped, didn't you?" Finkelstein sneered at Sally as she prepared his soup. Sighing, she reached for the worm's wort, her mind too preoccupied to answer him. She couldn't stop thinking about Jack, those eyes had haunted her dreams that night, and had not left her thoughts since. She sighed again, stirring the soup slowly, when she felt Finkelstein grabbed her wrist roughly, dragging her down until her eyes were level with his. He glared coldly at her.  
  
"I am your master, I created you." He glanced at her room and she gulped, knowing what he had in mind. "You dared to disobey my orders, so now you must face the consequences." He pushed her towards her room roughly. "I'll finish the soup. You stay there until you've learnt your lesson." He shoved her inside the room, when someone knocked on the door. Frowning, he glanced towards the door, before looking back up at Sally.  
  
"Well? Go answer the door!" He ordered, and Sally nodded quickly, before rushing down the ramp and jogging to the door. She opened it, then froze. Jack stood mere feet away from her, and from the way he looked at her she could tell that he recognised her. "Who is it?" Finkelstein snapped, pushing Sally out of the way quickly. He beamed up at Jack, who smiled back at him. "Ah, Jack. Do come in." Jack stepped inside, casting a quick glance at Sally as he followed doctor Finkelstein. She averted her gaze quickly, feeling suddenly ashamed. Why had she froze like that? Maybe it was that "love" thing again.  
  
"So...this the creation you've been telling me about?" Sally looked up, hearing Jack speak, her eyes widening slightly as she saw him indicate towards her. Doctor Finkelstein smiled and beckoned Sally to come closer.  
  
"Yes, this is the one." Sally sensed that he had been hoping that Jack wouldn't notice her, but Jack was obviously oblivious to this. "She's quite a nuisance," Finkelstein sneered, "but she does the job well enough, at least most of the time." He snorted, looking up at her. "At least she hasn't tried to poison me yet. Anyway, how can I help you?" He beamed up at Jack, and it made Sally uncomfortable to see him like this. She had never seen him be polite and friendly before, and although it was a welcome change, she knew that he would be back to his normal self the moment Jack left. She glanced over at Jack, who smiled at her. Her heart hammered quicker inside her chest, and she smiled back timidly, then quickly dropped her gaze.  
  
"Actually," replied Jack, turning back towards the doctor, "I just came by to meet her." Sally froze at these words, and looked slowly back up at Jack. He was looking at her the same way he had looked at her in the cemetery, and she felt shivers run down her spine just holding that gaze. He turned back towards doctor Finkelstein, and as he did so, Sally could've sworn she saw him edge towards her slightly.  
  
"Look, it's been 6 months now since you created her," Jack began, watching the doctor carefully for any reaction. This had to work, and that meant keeping the doctor happy. "I think it's time she met the rest of the town, and I'd be more than happy to give her a guided tour if you want." Doctor Finkelstein frowned slightly, considering this, and Jack watched him intently. He glanced over his shoulder at Sally, wondering how anyone could keep such a beautiful creature as this locked away. It was no wonder she ran away...  
  
"Alright, fine." Finkelstein spoke up suddenly, causing Sally to jump. "But don't let her out of your sight, I worked hard on her, and I don't want her getting lost. The last thing I need is having to spend ages making another one. And just so you know, her name is-"  
  
"What's your name?" Jack asked her quickly, cutting Finkelstein off. Sally smiled, silently thanking him for offering to take her away from the lab.  
  
"I'm Sally." Jack smiled back at her and gently took her hand, before looking back at doctor Finkelstein.  
  
"Okay, we'll see you later then," he called back to Finkelstein, who glanced up at both of them suddenly.  
  
"Wait..but..you can't just -" He sighed, groaning with frustration as they walked out of the door quickly. Jack looked behind him once the door had shut, then back at Sally.  
  
"Oh, the next time you want to escape," he said, glancing around to make sure that no one overheard him, "use this." Grinning, he pulled a small sprig out of his pocket and handed it to her. "Deadly Nightshade. Use this, and he'll be out cold in no time." Sally stifled a laugh, and looked around then back at Jack, who grinned again. "Welcome to Halloween Town." 


End file.
